Da Molto Tempo
by The Black Sisters
Summary: While casting a spell in his room, Harry gets attacked and it causes a mistake that tosses him into the past with consequences. Here he meets the Founders, and falls in love.
1. Chapter One

This is fun, it is the first time ever that I have remembered to put a disclaimer in the story….I really don't own Harry Potter, JKR does, and I will not appreciate it if you try and sue me. I have just borrowed her characters so I could put them in a situation of my choosing….big cheesy grin…..can't wait for the slash…..

**_Da Molto Tempo_**

_Fandom:_ Harry Potter

_Pairing: _Salazar/Harry

_Summary:_ While casting a spell in his room, Harry gets attacked and it causes a mistake that tosses him into the past with consequences. Here he meets the Founders, and falls in love.

_Warnings:_ Slash......let me see if there are more.......

_**

* * *

**_

_**Chapter One**_

It started off as a normal day for me, at least during my summer holidays, at my 'home'. Aunt Petunia woke me up by banging on my door and screeching at me to go start breakfast for her precious Diddidums, which of course I did. Then the next couple hours passed quickly while I worked to finish the seemingly endless list of chores they continued to give me everyday. Like I said, a normal day in the life of The-Boy-Who-Lived, or in more correct terms, The-Human-House-Elf to my relatives. It was late afternoon when everything went screwy. I had just flopped down on my lumpy mattress, having finally finished the last of my chores in record time, when a large eagle owl flew through my window. One glance at it told me all I needed to know, it was a Ministry owl…no doubt bearing my O.W.L results. I stood and walked across my, rather small, room to the desk where the owl had perched itself- interrupting the rather amusing stare off between it and Hedwig.

"Hey there, that for me?" I asked it, hoping to draw its attention to me. It worked and the owl turned back to me and held out its leg with a small confirming hoot. I took the abnormally thick letter from his leg and offered him some of Hedwig's treats and a small bowl of water, which he hooted his thanks for. Moving back to the bed I flopped down and stared at the letter for a full minute or two before sighing and opening it. Inside were two separate pieces of parchment and what looked like a brochure. I unfolded and read the top parchment first.

Dear Mr. Potter,

The Ministry of Magic is pleased to inform you of your O.W.L results. _Ordinary Wizarding Levels Results for Potter, Harry J._

Charms:  
Theory: EE  
Practical: O

Transfiguration:  
Theory: EE  
Practical: EE

Defense against the Dark Arts:  
Theory: O  
Practical: S

Care of Magical Creatures:  
Theory: EE  
Practical: EE

Divination:  
Theory: EE  
Practical: EE ( Due to events after the exam)

Potions:  
Theory: EE  
Practical: O ( Had a shaky start but finished the potion with admiral results)

Herbology:  
Theory: A  
Practical: EE

Astronomy:  
Theory: N/A  
Practical: A

History of Magic:  
Theory: N/A  
Practical: A

Key:  
S - Stupendous2 OWLs  
O - Outstanding1 OWLs  
EE - Exceeds Expectations1/2 OWLs  
A - Acceptable1/2 OWLs  
P - Poor0 OWLs  
D - Dreadful0 OWLs

Total: 11 OWLS

The Highest possible grade, the Stupendous.

As stated above you have received an extra high grading on your Defense against the Dark Arts OWL, due to the manifestation of a corporeal Patronus (in the form of a stag). The Stupendous has only been awarded once before in the history of Hogwarts, to Albus Dumbledore who managed to summon a phoenix Patronus during his owl defense exam.

We anticipate that you will perform as well, if not better, in your N.E.W.T exams. We wish you best of luck with your future studies at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Enjoy your remaining holidays!

Griselda Marchbanks

Head of Wizarding Examinations Section of the Education Department, Ministry of Magic, Europe

I was quite pleased with my results, not as good as Hermione probably, but still a little better then average. Not to mention tying with Dumbledore, something I hadn't expected at all. I set the first sheet of parchment aside and looked at the second, which appeared to be a much shorter letter. I completely ignored the brochure, I was quite sure it was another one of the many ones the Ministry had been sending me on becoming an Auror.

Dear Mr. Potter,

Due to the events at the Department of Mysteries and the apparent revival of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, the Ministry has decided to waive your last few months under the Statue of Underage Magic. As per the arrival of this letter you will be able to cast any spell, charm, or brew any potion you wish. Please do not inform anyone of this (including your headmaster and professors) as no one outside the Minister and the head of the Underage magic department knows.

( Do us proud Mr. Potter)

Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic

What the fuck! Does he really expect me forgive him just cause one small favor? One favor might I add that he only granted so I can (hopefully) defeat Voldemort for him. I snorted and tossed that letter in the trash bin, at least he had done me a favor. Now I could practice all the spells I had been studying, and not just study the theory. An evil smirk came over my face as I reached for my wand, now I could show the Dursleys just why they didn't want to mess with me.

"_Accio _trunk and broom."

There came a banging from downstairs, along with Petunia's muffled screeches as my trunk no doubt burst free from the cupboard and started floating up the stairs. I rolled off the bed and moved to open the door, glad that for once that it wasn't locked from the outside until Vernon came home at night. My trunk floated past me and came to a stop at the foot of my bed, my Firebolt settling itself next to my desk.

"And just _what_ do you think your doing boy?" my aunt snarled at me, hands on hips in the doorway to my room. "You know just as well as I do that your freak kind doesn't allow you to do magic outside of school!"

I shrugged and pretended to be more nonchalant then I actually was. "They lifted the ban on underage magic for me, something about a murderous killer being after me and needing all the protection I could get…" I hid my smirk at her horrified face; poor dear looked like I had just swallowed a cockroach in front of her, or maybe revealed myself to be the spawn of Satan.

"Th-they can't!" she screeched, wringing her hands while her eyes shifted from my wand to my eyes. "How are we supposed to deal with you if you can use your freakish powers!?!"

I shrugged and waved my wand over my bed, transfiguring it into a slightly larger version of my bed at Hogwarts. "I don't know, just leave me alone maybe?" I offered sarcastically, casting enlarging charms around the room till it was twice the size it used to be. "I'll make you a deal. I will stay in my room as much as possible and use my magic as little as possible outside my room if you will bring my meals and allow me free access to the phone."

She grimaced but nodded, "Alright, but you make sure to stay in your room when Vernon is home." I nodded my agreement and she left my room, closing the door behind herself. I moved around the room, cleaning and fixing the furniture and basically making the room more habitable. When I was done I had a new, much larger desk, a new wardrobe with added storage, complete with transfigured clothes that actually fit me. Added to this was the bookshelf I created from one of my quills, the two bedside tables and lamps, curtains for my windows so that any Order spies couldn't see right in my room, even a nice rug to go over the bare wood floors. After doing all that I started unpacking my trunk, taking out some of the presents that I had been given over the years that I hadn't been able to unpack before. A few Quidditch posters, the books Hermione had given or loaned to me, and a few of the smaller items that I had been given over the years were placed on the now empty shelves lining the walls. (Dudley's things having been banished away or transfigured into things I needed) Like the Sneakoscope Ron had given me, the plant Neville had sent to me just a few days ago, and of course some of the figurines Hagrid had carved for me over the years of some of his favorite animals. Each found a place on my walls, which were now colored a soft green. Gryffindor red and gold had been the obvious choices, but I saw enough of that during the school year- besides green had always been one of my favorite colors. So I colored the walls a soft jade green, while the blankets on my bed were a dark sage green with muted gold colored sheets and matching pillows. The rug on my floor was a mix of gold, green, and black in a spiral pattern. The whole room wasn't very Gryffindor, but I liked it and thought it suited me.

After placing the last book away on my shelf I turned around a surveyed my new room. Potion ingredients sat in their vials on some of the shelves near my desk, quills, ink and parchment sat out on my desk. Hedwig was resting on her new perch; head tucked under her wing and her newer, bigger, cage was sitting over by the window. All in all it looked like a completely different room, one I would be proud to show my friends. I turned when a soft knock came at my door, "Come in." I called.

My aunt stuck her head in the room, taking in the changes to my room. "I brought you your dinner." She said, walking tentatively towards my desk with the plate and glass of milk on a tray. She set it down and turned to face me, "Take it down to the kitchen when you're done and we've gone to bed. Your can also take your shower then too." She wouldn't make eye contact with me and was fidgeting with the edge of her blouse. I didn't say a word, just nodded and waited 'til she left the room before moving towards my dinner. It was a simple dinner of roast beef, garlic potatoes and a roll, with a glass of milk to drink. It wasn't a big dinner but it was much more then I usually got from them.

I ate quickly; ignoring the sounds of the Dursley's coming from below while they watched TV and ate their dinner. I was done in record time and soon flopped out on my bed, a book of advanced curses and charms in my hands. I had read it before of course, many times since summer had started not much else to do after I finished my chores. It was only three weeks into the summer break but I had already finished reading all my old school books, levels 1-5, along with most of my sixth and seventh year studies. The book I was currently reading was on advanced Auror spells, not something they would have let me study at Hogwarts. I had more than a few books stored away on my shelves that I had no doubt Dumbledore wouldn't want me reading, including a few on Occulmency and certain dark curses. Sure they were a little on the evil side, but hey you should fight fire with fire right? Besides Voldemort wasn't exactly going to play fair now was he? I focused more on the book in my hand, a paragraph catching my eye.

Tempous Veridian; A spell designed to transport you back to a certain point in time. Created 500 years ago by a wizard named Caridac Ravenclaw, the last known witch/wizard to carry the Ravenclaw name. His spell was designed to use the casters own magical power to send him/her back to the point they choose. The stronger the wizard the farther they could go back. He himself only used the spell a few times, the last known time when he went back five days in order to save his best friend from an early death.

Over the years the spell has been attempted many times, most cases were successful- however over the years the number of successful castings has lowered. Causing the spell to become considered Dark, since only dark wizards generally had enough power to cast it. In these modern times many wizarding governments have banned this spell, and any person caught attempting to cast it has been ostracized. (See pg. 512 for details on the spell)

I quickly flipped through the book till I reached the page I needed, the directions seemed fairly simple for such an advanced spell. I had most of the things I needed for it already, the purified magical salt to form the circle and glyphs needed. But I was missing the book that housed the actual incantation needed to cast the spell, not to mention the focusing crystal. I made a note to send off for the book and the crystal in my next owl post before closing the book and setting it down on my bedside table- it was time to go take my shower and wash my dishes.

* * *

The next morning I woke up early, the sun barely breaking the horizon when I started working on my spells. I ran through the simple spells and charms learned in first year very quickly, followed even faster by a review of the spells I should have learned in second year if it hadn't been for Professor Lockhart's, the bloody git, teaching methods. The third year spells also included the Patronus taught to me by Remus- still a stag but now much easier to produce then it had been back then. The fourth year spells, including the _Accio_, were just as easy to master- even those I hadn't actually studied much before now came to me very easy to me. I had a few small problems with the fifth year spells and such- mostly due to pronunciation- but after a few tries most of them came out close to perfect. I had a bit more trouble with some of the sixth and seventh year spells, mainly the transfiguration and more advanced charms, but with a little work I was able to get them working in nearly perfect order- if a little jerky. Not so surprisingly the defense and dueling spells seemed to come naturally, requiring very little practice before they came out perfect- guess I have a bit of a knack for them.

By the time I was finished practicing my uncle Vernon had already left for work and Dudley had already left with some of his friends for the day, or so I assumed. So I wasn't very surprised to hear my aunt's soft knock when she brought in my breakfast.

"You'll be all alone in the house this week boy, your uncle, Duddykins and I are going to go stay with Marge. You make sure to stay up here until we're gone-then you can do whatever you want 'til we get back- as long as you don't trash the house of course." She said.

I couldn't hide my surprise; they were actually going to leave me alone in the house? "You're actually leaving me by myself in the house?" I croaked out, mouth almost hanging open with shock. She nodded, folding her arms across her chest. "Indeed. We wouldn't be doing so but Marge needs us and we can't risk Mrs. Figg finding out about your freakishness now that you can use your magic anytime you want." She sniffed and started walking back towards the door, not even sparing me a second glance before leaving the room. Guess her slightly nicer attitude was gone already. Her news couldn't have made me happier though, now I could order all the books and things I would need without having the worry about Uncle Vernon. With that in mind I set about filling out the order forms I had already gotten from Flourish and Blotts and a few smaller stores in Diagon Alley. By the time I was done I had ordered over 20 new books, at least 12 new rare potion ingredients, the crystal I needed for the spell, and few more miscellaneous items. Hedwig was quite happy to take the orders from me, even going so far as give me a happy nip on the ear. She had been a little anxious of late, not having much to do since we had returned for the holidays. Dumbledore has once again asked Ron and Hermione to not write me more then once a week or so, so I hadn't had much opportunity to send her out before now.

After sending her on her away, with a Notice-Me-Not Charm on of course, so that any Order member watching the house wouldn't take notice of her. I had undoubtedly made sure to ask the stores to send as many of them as possible in same day, next day delivery. After that was done there wasn't really much I could do besides study more of my books and wait till the Dursley's left before going down to wash my breakfast dishes. The next couple hours were pretty boring for the most part, review my old class books, work on a few simple potions, and do a bit more research into the _Tempus_ _Viridian_ spell. By the time I finally heard the Dursley's car pull away from the house it was already late afternoon and I was more then ready to go grab some food, since my aunt had neglected to bring me lunch while she packed for their trip. A quick stop to the loo later and I was down in kitchen making myself a decent dinner and checking over the muggle papers for any signs of Voldemort's return. There weren't too many articles on missing people, but a few of the deaths in the obituaries that sounded pretty suspicious to me. I ate quickly, wanting to get back up to my room in case any owls arrived. Sure enough when I pushed open my door there were three owls waiting for me on my bed, each carrying a shrunken package. I moved quickly across the room, grabbing some owl treats as I moved to give to them. The first package was from Flourish and Blotts, it contained all of the 12 books I had ordered from them, along with a small note of thanks for choosing their establishment. The next package came with the rather sinister looking eagle owl from the shop in Knockturn Ally, it contained the crystal I needed and 3 of the more…dubious books I needed. The final bird carried all the potion ingredients I had ordered from the apothecary, as well as a small note asking me to use them if I needed anything else. I was just closing the window after the last one when I spotted another, rather large, owl flying my way. I moved aside and let it glide in past me and settle on Hedwig's unoccupied perch, it held out it's leg and I quickly took the final bundle from its leg and handed it an owl treat, it hooted a quick thanks before swallowing it and immediately flying back out the window.

This final package contained the final things I had ordered, the last remaining details before I could cast that spell! It wouldn't be long now until I could go back and save Sirius- or better yet go back and stop Cedric from dieing and Voldemort from being reborn! I could literally feel the excitement racing through me as I went over all the details in my mind. I was more then a little confident that I had enough power to cast the spell successfully, and now that I had the materials necessary all I needed to do was study the ritual itself. With that in mind I dug through the books till I found the one I needed, _Dark Spells of the Last Century, by Winifred Price_, and started to read. Soaking up the information I needed; planning far into the night when, and how, I would cast the spell.

* * *

Three days later I was finally ready to cast the _Tempus_ _Viridian_, I had everything I needed and had studied the ritual enough to be confident that I could cast it flawlessly. I had even prepared a few things I might need. Shrinking my Firebolt, charming vials of potions to be unbreakable and miniature in size till I touched them, even creating a pouch with Ever-Hold charm (and a Feather-Light charm) on it that contained a few hundred gallons, sickles, and knuts. Just in case I somehow manage to bugger the spell up and had to buy the ingredients. I thought about bringing my trunk with me, shrunken of course, but dismissed it soon after.

I waited until midnight, one of the most powerful times of day, before setting up the spell. First I banished my things against one wall, then I drew the circle in the center of the room with the magical salt. After that it was all about doing the right wand movements at the right time, in perfect order. I was halfway through the ceremony when the first prickling of unease hit me; I shivered and glanced around- not stopping my chanting for a second. I could feel my power flowing out from my center like the book had described, and I watched as it caused the circle and symbols drawn on my floor to glow a soft green. It was nearly done; I had almost completed the spell! I cleared my mind, blocking out the sense of danger that was fast growing in size and picturing that fateful day in the cemetery. I faintly heard the front door downstairs being blown in, and the sounds of a myriad of voices-but I ignored them for the most part, concentrating more on the spell. I was just beginning to flicker in and out of focus, in laymen's terms becoming see through, when my bedroom door burst open and a masked Deatheater muscled in; wand raised and a curse on his lips.

The last thing I saw and heard before my vision went black was his wand raised and a deep red light flying towards me while he screamed "_Reducto!_" the last thing I felt was the sensation of falling before a sudden pain, not unlike a blow to the head, ripped through me and I passed out- completely drained.

* * *

Hey, this is brought to you by Valkyrie Nienna Helyanwe and Darkest Melody. We just wanted to say that we hope you enjoyed the first chapter of DMT, and please review. Also, this will be a Salazar Slytherin/Harry Potter story, no if ands or buts.

PS This QuickEdit crap has going on bites monkey balls. It keeps messing everything up...more of a hinderance then a help.


	2. Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO-

He started to drift awake again slowly, it wasn't the first time he had started to wake in the last couple days; but it was the first time he felt he would be able to open his eyes. The first time he had fought his way to semi consciousness he was only able to feel the things around himself, like the blanket that surrounded him and the pillows his head was resting against. The second time his hearing had started to return, even if all he'd been able to hear was the crackling of the fire that was no doubt keeping his room warm. Each time he started to wake an irritating feeling of _something_ being wrong, or maybe missing was the better term, nagged at him. He hoped it went away once he was awake and able to see his surroundings.

The first thing he noticed when he opened his eyes was that he didn't recognize a thing around him. The colors, the furniture, the style, and hell even the smell of the room seemed off- not quite right to him. He didn't panic though, maybe he was just in a room he hadn't visited before, he tried to think back; to see what he _could_ remember. His name seemed like an easy thing to start with...or so he thought. No matter how hard he dug back he couldn't remember, it was like his memories of his past had been erased. He could still remember being able to perform magic, and that not everyone should know he could do it, but his name, his family, friends, and home were all missing. He could feel his breath catching as he started to panic, _why couldn't he remember who he was!?_

He could feel his magic starting to get out of control the more he panicked, and some instinct told him he needed to calm down before something exploded- but he was having trouble battling his panic down to a manageable level. He got a needed distraction when the door to the room he was in banged open and a tall man dressed in a black tunic and robe strode confidently in. There was something familiar about his long dark red hair pulled back in a ponytail, but it wasn't quite right- the hair was a shade or two too dark and the features didn't match the face that flashed briefly across his memory.

"Ah, so your finally awake are you?" the man asked, strolling across the room till he was settled next to the bed. "Helga will be pleased, she was worried you wouldn't wake up at all after having your magic drained away like that." His voice was cool, but not unfriendly like one would expect after taking in his dour appearance. It was his eyes that captivated you though, almond shaped pools of amber brown set on an aristocratic face with a slim nose and slightly full lips.

"Who are you? Where am I? Why am I here? What happened to me" he paused and took a deep breath "And does it have anything to do with why I can't remember anything?" He could see the slightly amused smile tugging at the man's lips until he registered the last question

"You can't remember anything, nothing at all?"

"Only that I can do magic, and that not everyone should know. I don't even remember my name!"

"I will have to talk to Helga, but to answer your questions, you are in my home, and you are here because I found you while I was out for a walk - I don't know what happened to you, just that you had severe magical drain and you collapsed on my lands, very near the far border. I normally do not travel that way, but I wanted to walk for a while longer then usual. I almost missed you, but noticed your hand sticking out of a bush just as I passed it." he stood up and started to walk away, "Let me go get Helga now, she will want to know you're awake, and will probably yell at me for not getting her right away."

"Wait, what is your name?" he called out, hating the fact that he didn't already know, or even have a slight idea.

The man paused on his way out the door, turning his head to throw his answer over his shoulder "Salazar Slytherin." And with that he was gone out the door with a swish of his robes.

He looked around the room as he waited for Salazar to come back; there really wasn't much else he could do. The whole room as very cozy with its warm maple stained furniture and rich earth tones. The bed he was reclining on had cream-colored sheets and dark moss green covers. The pillows were a mix of the two colors, with cream being the main with dark green bands around the edges and a tasteful swirling pattern in a slightly lighter green. The rest of the room seemed to be done with those two colors in mind, with different shades of green and tones of cream and gold- it was a very inviting room. Trying to sit up seemed to sap all his energy, by the time he had managed to swing his legs off the side of the bed he was already breathing a little hard and his muscles felt like rubber. He forced himself to get to his feet, swaying a bit as he tried to get his balance back; but he wanted out of that bed and not even the fact that he felt like passing back out was going to stop him.

He was halfway across the room, just a few feet from the window, when the door opened again and a young woman strolled in. She was slightly below average height, maybe an inch or two shorter then himself, with short curly dark blonde hair that stopped just below her shoulders. She was dressed in a dark yellow gown and carried herself with a calm assurance; he was reminded of someone, and instinct made him blurt out. "I wasn't trying to leave the room, I promise."

Seeing him over near the window and not in the bed like she had expected brought a scowl to her face. "And just who gave you permission to get out of bed?" she scolded, bustling across the room and grabbing him by his trembling arm, leading him back to the bed. She gently pushed him back down and took her wand out, performing a few diagnostic medical spells, checking on his health after exerting himself. He was too weak to resist as she forced him to lie back down and take a small vial of potion she had pulled from a pocket on her gown. By the time he had finished swallowing the faintly nasty thing Salazar was back and standing next to the bossy blonde.

"I see Helga has already forced you to take one of my potions…" he said, a faint grin quirking his lip up a bit.

"Now don't you be telling him anything bad about me Salazar Slytherin. I wouldn't even have forced him to take a potion if he hadn't been stupid enough to get out of bed and try to get to the window." She retorted, confirming his assumption that she was the Helga Salazar had been speaking of before.

Salazar frowned and shot him a disapproving look, "Why would you try and get out of bed? I told you I would be right back."

"I just wanted to get a look outside, see if I recognized anything."

The frown melted off his face, and an understanding look replaced it. "I highly doubt you would…not many have seen the Slytherin family lands." He moved around the bed and sat on the other side, giving Helga more room to maneuver. Helga continued to bustle around him, checking on his bedding and waving her wand to check his magical core. "So have you any idea what you want us to call you? We can't just leave you without a name, even if you cant remember your real name."

This caught him off guard, he had no idea what his real name was- or what he wanted to be called. Helga seemed to notice his confounded look and offered up a solution, "Why don't we call him Aystan? It means foundling, and he certainly is your little foundling Salazar."

"Aystan sounds fine…" Salazar mused, looking to Helga. "So how is Aystan doing?"

Helga frowned, looking me over. "Well he seems to have a bit of a concussion, the rather nasty bruise on his forehead is a testament to that, but other then that he seems fine. A bit weak due to magical shock, but he should be back to perfect health in a few days." Satisfied with his results she stopped bustling around and took the seat on the other side of the bed. She seemed to be studying him, "You know you look a bit like two of my other friends…" she mused.

"Who?" Salazar asked, looking a little confused. The two of them shared quite a few acquaintances…but he couldn't see who she was talking about.

"Well he has some of the features of the Gryffindor line, you can see it in his facial structure. Although his mouth, eyes and build are pure Ravenclaw, only that family has those lily pad green eyes." She seemed to become lost in thought for a moment while Salazar looked me over.

"Indeed, I can see it now that you pointed it out." His warm honey colored eyes searched mine. "Do the names Godric Gryffindor or Rowena Ravenclaw sound familiar to you?"

For just a brief second I saw the blurry image of a shield swam across my minds eye. It was sectioned off into four separate sections, each with a different animal and color. Almost in response to Salazar's question two of the four sections became clearer, the first was a rampant gold lion on a field of red. The other appeared to be a bronze eagle with wings spread on a field of sapphire blue. This image was gone almost as quickly as it came, but it was enough to give him hope that his memories would eventually come back.

Helga, "So, do you recognize them?"

"I saw a shield. It was blurry for a second but then two of the four-divided sections became clear. One was a rampant gold lion on a field of red and the other a bronze eagle on a field of blue."

"That sounds like the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw coat of arms…" Salazar said, frowning a bit.

"Maybe he is one of their cousins we haven't met before?" Helga suggested. "I mean Rowena and Godric are third cousins, he could be related to one of them…"

"You really think so?" he replied, looking me over with a thoughtful look. "I can see what you mean about him looking a bit like Lord Godric, and those eyes do indeed remind me of Lady Rowena's."

I butted in, "So you think I may be related to two of your friends?" I couldn't hide the hopeful tone in my voice, hell my voice fairly quivered with it.

Helga sent me a gentle smile, "Indeed I do. I will send them a missive asking them to visit me, as soon as you are well enough to be moved to my Manor." She sent Salazar a chastising look; "Salazar here won't allow Godric or Rowena onto his private grounds."

I couldn't hide my smirk at the frustrated look on Salazar's face; he had clearly heard this argument before. I just watched as they continued to bicker back and forth for the next few minutes. They're bantering almost reminded me of something, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. They seemed almost like siblings, a younger brother arguing with his older sister, to his mind.

I was drawn back into the conversation when Helga spoke to me, "Aystan, your things have been placed in the wardrobe and the dresser. If you need anything feel free to call for Wella, one of the house elves here, she will get you anything you may need. If you need me or Salazar just have her fetch us alright?"

I nodded, a little choked up. I somehow had this feeling that not many people had ever been this nice to me before. "Why? Why are you being so nice to me? You have no idea who I am, where I came from or even how I got on these lands. How do you know I can be trusted?"

Salazar frowned, "We don't. However as for being nice to you, it is only common courtesy to help a fellow witch or wizard in need." I just nodded and reclined back some more, feeling totally exhausted. Salazar and Helga exchanged concerned looks over my head, which I pretended to not see, before closing my eyes and letting myself drift off. I didn't see Salazar tuck me in, or Helga's smirk as he did so, or even the concerned look he flashed me as they left the room.

The next seven days passed in pretty much the same manner. I woke up around mid morning everyday to find Salazar already in my room with a breakfast tray. We would talk while I ate, discussing anything and everything we could think of. With his help I started to remember spells, charms and even potions, which seemed to be his passion, though I wasn't nearly as well versed as him in that area. After that he would leave me for a while and I would read from one of his books for an hour or two. Salazar had some very interesting books in his library, though my personal favorite was far was the one on a type of magic called Occulmency- it just seemed to draw me to it. Apparently it helped one focus and protect his or her mind, not to mention it was said to help a person learn faster, which he could certainly use since Salazar said his education was behind for his age. After a few hours of reading he would get tired of being in the bed and would get up and start exercising a bit. The first time Salazar had caught him doing this he had been chewed out, apparently it wasn't safe for him to try and push himself without another person in the room.

After a day or two of having to wait until either Salazar or Helga was in the room with him he was finally deemed well enough to get around on his own. Which had been a relief since it was generally late afternoon or even evening before either one could come back to visit with him. So after the first two days Salazar would generally find him walking the length of his room or even doing sit ups on the floor to get his muscles back into shape. They would eat dinner together every night, discussing their days and the things they had done, or in his case what he had read. After that Salazar would help him practice his Occulmency- though since he didn't have a lot of memories it was hard to find things to try and block from Salazar. It was fast becoming a routine for them, one he certainly enjoyed.

He hadn't seen Helga in the last three days, not since she had been called back to her own Manor to deal with some sort of problem. Since then it had just been him and Salazar, which gave him a much better chance to get to know the dignified wizard. While he was outwardly very dark and dangerous looking, Salazar was actually very friendly and passionate about certain things- all you had to do was get past his walls. During one of his talks with Helga he learned that she had been very surprised at Salazar's manner with him, apparently she had never seen the young wizard look so concerned about anyone before. He didn't know what to make of that, so he pushed it to the back of his mind 'til he had the time to deal with it.

CRACK

"Master Aystan sir, Lord Salazar wishes for you to join him in his study." Wella said, twisting her hands in her black uniforms blouse. All of the house elves of the Slytherin Manor wore pretty much the same thing; black tunics and pants for the males, and black blouse and skirt for the females, all with the Slytherin silver snake on the back. Salazar's family thought it disgusting to have servants who looked like slaves, so there were no potato sacks or rags for his servants.

I put the book I had been reading down and stood, I was still a little shaky at times but it was much better then a few days ago. "Very well, lead me to him then" I said with a grin. It would be the first time I was able to leave my room since I had woken up a week before. She smiled and grabbed ahold of my hand, dragging me out the door and down the hallway so quickly I could barely take in my surroundings. By the time we reached his study I was slightly out of breath and more then ready to take the chair Salazar motioned me towards.

"You alright there Aystan?" he asked, a concerned look on his face as he poured me a glass of water and handed it to me. I nodded and waved him off. He frowned but nodded his head once, a very significant movement, "Next time don't rush, your not quite back up to full strength yet." He scolded. I just laughed and grinned at him, "Don't blame me, it was Wella's idea to rush down here so quickly." I retorted.

"Indeed, well back to why I called you down here. Helga sent me a missive saying that both Lady Rowena and Lord Godric will be at Willowbrook Manor, her families ancestral home, for dinner tonight. She has asked us both to attend in order to introduce you to them, she thinks your ready." He paused and waited to see if I had anything to say, when I didn't speak he continued. "I accepted for the both of us. By the time you get back to your room you will find a new set of robes, so go get freshened up and dressed and I will make a Portkey to her Manor." He smirked, his brown eyes lighting up to a warm honey color with excitement, or maybe mischievousness would be the better label. "Apparently Helga hasn't told them why she has invited them to dinner, so I expect your presence will be quite a surprise." He was clearly going to enjoy their shock.

"I see…so we're just going to spring it on them then?" I asked, barely waiting for his confirming nod before continuing. "I can see where that might be to our advantage. They wont be able to hide their reactions, no time to make up an ironclad lie." I smirked; completely unaware that it mirrored the one Salazar himself was wearing. I stood and took one final sip of my water before heading for the door, "I'll go start getting ready now…should I wait in my rooms or meet you back here?"

"I'll pick you up in your rooms, it will be easier that way."

I didn't bother to reply verbally, just nodded and we walked side by side back to my room. He left me at my door while continuing on down to his own room to get ready for our dinner commitment. I washed quickly, using a quick heating charm to make the water warm enough to suite my tastes. I walked back out of the bathroom with just a towel around my waist, moving toward the bed I spotted my robes for the evening. They were simple enough, a rich almost emerald green that almost matched my eyes, with a simple black tunic and pants to go under. It was a very understated outfit, but the whole thing screamed tasteful elegance. Salazar had even picked the two colors he thought suited me best, the green of my eyes and his personal favorite, black. I got dressed quickly, enjoying the feel of the soft cotton and silk before heading for the mirror to try and tame my unruly hair. No matter how hard we tried neither Salazar nor me had found a way to tame it, it was simply wild. As usual it refused to behave, the best I got was it laying semi flat and parted in the appropriate place.

A knock came at the door before Salazar waltzed in without waiting. He was dressed of course in his favorite black, however tonight it had bronze colored piping along the collar and hems, even the clasp was made of two bronze snakes- instead of his usual silver. I looked down and sure enough my own robes clasp was a bronze stag.

"You look great." He complimented, before frowning. "However I think we need to change your hair- it's just to unruly that short." He pulled out his wand and waved it at me. I felt this odd tingling sensation for a second before it stopped and my head suddenly felt heavier. I turned to look in the mirror and was shocked to see that my once short hair and bangs now brushed my shoulders in a slightly wavy cascade. With the new length my hair no longer seemed to want to flyway, in fact it settled quite nicely against my collar. I turned back to him, "I like it, should have asked you to do this sooner." He agreed before pulling out a small amber colored stone, he held it out to me.

"This is the Portkey I made to take us to and from Helga's Manor. Just touch it and say 'Foundling' to activate it."

I nodded and reached out to touch it, shivering a bit when my hand brushed against his and a shock of electricity seemed to spark between us where our hands touched. I didn't notice his identical shiver, as I was to busy trying to hide my own. He coughed and at the same time we both activated the Portkey. " Foundling!"

¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸

I hope this is good enough for you readers….Inu wasn't to sure she liked the chapter but I did, and we figured since it was a filler chapter it wasn't going to get any better. Godric and Helga will meet Aystan…..

Oh their ages. Harry is sixteen, Salazar is seventeen, Helga is eighteen, Rowena is nineteen, and Godric is twenty.


End file.
